Sunday, June 24, 2007
Our Medieval Pilgrimage
We are back from 30 days in Spain. We walked for 18 days from Leon to Santiago de Compostela along an ancient pilgrimage route, covering about 250 miles. My backpack weighed 18 pounds and the journey was much more difficult than we imagined.
We walked in rain, fog, wind, cold, sunshine through spectacular countryside. Most pilgrims get blisters and we were among them. We limped along with others more than half our age over two mountain ranges, through vineyards and farm lands. Flowers were everywhere as we walked from small town to small town.
We slept in sleeping bags in pilgrim hostels called refugios. The refugios are dormitories where for a minimal fee you can spend the night. Sometimes we had meals in the refugios; other times we ate in restaurants.
One of the nicer pilgrim hostels we stayed in.
Pilgrim's boots in another refugio.
For the whole 30 days, I wore two pair of slacks and three shirts. That meant washing clothes in the refugios. My husband became a laundry expert, even when he had to do a balancing act to be able to hang our clothes.
The main street in one of the villages where we spent the night.
A Spanish woman gives us each a rose from her garden.
We were deeply touched by the kindness of the Spaniards and of the other pilgrims.
Pilgrims wear scallop shells, and shells or yellow arrows mark the pilgrim route.
Here yellow flowers mark the way.
Even some dogs carry backpacks on the pilgrimage.
Needless to say, our pilgrimage was wonderful. If you would like to see more pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8326092@N03/
Even some dogs carry backpacks on the pilgrimage.
Needless to say, our pilgrimage was wonderful. If you would like to see more pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8326092@N03/
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Greetings from the Camino
I am writing this from an Internet cafe in Sarria, Spain. My husband and I have been walking a medieval pilgrimage route, the Camino, across the top of Spain to Santiago de Compostela. We have only about 80 miles left to go, having already gone 135 miles. We have crossed two mountain ranges, carrying all our possessions in backpacks. It has been a great challenge and I am happy to report that we are holding up as well as the other pilgrims, many of them years younger than we are.
Spain is lovely at this time of year with fields full of flowers and everything lush and green. We have seen lots of different birds and big, ugly black slugs. I think I even spotted a wolf in a deserted area.
I was surprised to see that kids here stay up late at night and don´t go to school until almost nine. Also, they seem to have more freedom than kids in the States do, running about without adult supervision. But it may be because this area is rural and safe.
The Internet I am using is coin operated. So this is all for now.
Spain is lovely at this time of year with fields full of flowers and everything lush and green. We have seen lots of different birds and big, ugly black slugs. I think I even spotted a wolf in a deserted area.
I was surprised to see that kids here stay up late at night and don´t go to school until almost nine. Also, they seem to have more freedom than kids in the States do, running about without adult supervision. But it may be because this area is rural and safe.
The Internet I am using is coin operated. So this is all for now.
